Weft stop motion mechanism



Aug. 18, 1931. v w. CRUTCHLOW WEFT STOP MOTION MECHANISM Filed Sept. 23,- 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l avwemtoz,

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Patented Aug. 18, 1931 UNiTED STATES Arrzrrr OFFICE WILLIAM CRUTCHLOW, F FULLERTON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM CRU'TCHLOW, JR., OF FULLERTON, PENNSYLVANIA WEFT srror MOTION MECHANISM Application filed Setpember 23; 1930. serial No. 483,836.

This invention relates to looms and particularly to weft-detective means therefor. The object of the invention is to cause the detecting action to occur when the lay or batten is moving backward or from the cloth and yet have the detecting mechanism simple in construction and reliable and eflicient in operation. The invention is especially applicable to so-called box-looms,

or looms containing several shuttles each called into operation at a time, because in such looms the operations of picking a shuttle and shifting the shuttle-boxes so as to change from one shuttle to another to fully occupy the time when the lay or batten is moving forward that it is practically impossible to provide a detectin means which can act on the forward stro e and yet be simple in construction and reliable and efficient in operation, for it is obvious that the detector means cannot act to detect while the box-shifting is occurring else there would be interference between it and the shifting boxes.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 shows in front elevation the shuttleboX including portion of the lay structure of a loom and embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan of the shuttle, with the terminals of the detector;

Fig. 3 is a front-elevation, partly'in section, of the improved detector means and a part of the loom frame;

Fig. 4 is a section on line 44, Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 shows the detector partly in plan and partly in section, together with a dia gram of the electric circuit.

1 designates a side of the loom frame, 2 one of the lay swords, 3 the'lay, 4 the frame or stand forming an extension of the lay and in which the shuttle boxes 5 are adapted to be shifted by the box-rod 6 by any well-known means, and 7 the binders for the shuttles, one of which is shown at 9,:Fig. 2. All this is substantially according to well" known construction. Each binder has an aperture 7a to admit the detector (to be described) into contact, in this example, with the actual filling or weft windings a on' the quill 8 'of the corresponding shuttle 9 and, if they are abspindle 14 which has a collar 15 affixed thereto and provided with a depending pin 16 received by notch 13 and thus limiting the rotary motion of the spindle in each direction. The pillar is surrounded by a spring 17 one end of which is aflixed to collar 15, as by screw 15a, and the other to a collar 19 (by being entered into a hole 19a thereof) which is adjustable around the pillar, being held when adjusted by a set-screw 196, thus to vary the tension of the spring.

On the upper end of the spindle is a collar 20, rotatively adjustable thereon and held where adjusted-by a set-screw 20a, and this has affixed thereto an elastic and hence flexible arm or blade 21 which at its free end carrries the terminals of the electric circuit.

For this purpose I prefer to rebend the end of this arm, as at 21a and also affix to one face of the arm a pad or block 22 so as to afford proper support for the insulating bushing 23 for one of the mentioned terminals, 2-1, and properly guide the other terminal 25. The

mentioned circuit is shown at 26, 27 being its energy source and 28 diagrammatically indicating electro-magnetlc means to be actuated,

as a solenoid, for, say, causing the stopping of the loom, or any other operation which is its terminalsare opposed to the aperture 7 a of that box which happens to be alined with the top of the lay, and due to spring 17 1t 1s normally retracted; its movement to enter the terminals through said aperture and one, 9a, in the shuttle and against the windings is effected as follows:

On the lower end of spindle 14 is adjustably fixed, by means of a set-screw 31a, an arm 31 having a roller 31?). On the frame 1 is fixed a bracket 32 having a slot 32a in which is adjustable toward the spindle a stud 33 clamped to the bracket by a nut 34. On this stud is pivoted a member 35 held against a stop 36 (or rearward of the loom) by a spring 37 and which, because it has a camming action on the detector or feeler formed by spindle 1 1 and its two arms, I term a cam. This cam projects in the path of the roller 31?) arm 31. When the lay moves forward the cam yields and allows it to pass, at once returning against the stop; when the lay moves backward the cam, then engaging the stop, cams the detector in the direction to enter the terminals 24 25 at the apertures 7a-9a then alined with the lay to feel for the windings in the shuttle there present, the detector yielding as it wipes past the cam due to the flexibility of its arm 21.

Thus, when the lay is moving forward the shifting of the boxes may take place, the detector being then held retracted clear of the boxes by spring 17 and the cam being wiped aside or in effect then idle. When the lay moves back the cam, now againstits stop and active, shifts the detector toward the boxes (now at stand-still) andenters its terminals against the windings in the zone ofthe band 10,-the detector immediately retracting under tension of spring 17when during this movement of the lay it passes the detent as described. Of course, if on any such movement of the detector to feel? for the Windings the latter are substantially absent, so that the band 10 will close the circuit, the means 28 will be energized to cause stopping of or other operation in the loom.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim is:

1, In a loom, the combination of a loom frame, a backward-and-forward-moving lay structure having a shuttle box, a shuttle movable into and out of the box and having a circuit-closer, an open circuit containing electromagnetic means to be actuated, a member carrying the circuit terminals and movable on said structure in opposite directions and when moved in one direction adapted to cause contact of the terminals with the circuitcloser, and means to move said member first in the direction to cause such contact during each backward movement of said structure and then in the opposite direction, said means including a cam past which said member moves with said structure and arranged to move said member in one of said directions.

2. In a loom, the combination of a loom frame, a backward-and-forward-moving lay structure having a shuttle box, a. shuttle movable into and out of the box and having a circuit-closer, an open circuit containing electro-magnetic means to be actuated, a member carrying the circuit terminals and movable to either of two positions in one of which the terminals contact with the circuit-closer and in the other of which they are retracted therefrom, said member being normally held in the secondposit-ion, and cam means, past which said structure moves, to move said member to the first position during each backward movement of said structure.

3. In a loom, the combination of a loom frame, a backward-and-forward-moving lay having a shuttle box, a shuttle movable into and out of the box and having a circuit-closer, an open circuit containing electro-magnetic means to be actuated, a member carrying the circuit terminals and movable toeither of two positions in one of which the terminals contact with the circuit-closer and in the other of which they are retracted therefrom, said member being normally held in the second position, and a cam on the frame arranged to cam said member to the first position and then release the same during each backward movement of the lay, said member and cam being yieldable one to the other on each forward movement of the lay.

4. In a loom, the combination of a loom frame, a backward-and-forward-moving l'ay having a shuttle box, a shuttle movable into and out of the box and having a circuit-closer, an open circuit containing electro-magnetic means to be, actuated, a member carrying the circuit terminals and movable to either of two positions in one of which the terminals contact with the circuit-closer and in the other of which they are retracted therefromf saidmember being normally held in the secondposition, and a cam on the frame arranged to cam said member to the first positionand then release the same during each backward movement of the lay, said member andcam being yieldable one to the other on each forward movement of the lay, and said member being in itself yieldable and adapted to yield to the cam when it passes the same on rearward movement of the lay.

5. In a loom, the combination of a loom frame, a backward-and-forward-moving lay having a shuttlebox, a shuttle in the box, a feeler movable to either of two positions in one of which it feels the shuttle in the box and in the other of which it is retracted therefrom, and means to move the feeler first in one direction into feeling relation to the shuttle during, each backward movement of the lay an'dthen in the opposite direction, said means including a cam past which said feeler moves with the lay and arranged to move the feeler in one of said directions,

6. In a'loom, the combination of a loom frame, a backward-and-forward moving lay having a shuttle box, a shuttle in the box, a feeler movable to either of two positions in one of which it feels the shuttle in the box and in the other of which it is retracted therefrom, said feeler being normally held in the retracted position, and a cam on the frame arranged to cam said feeler to the first position and then release the same during each backward movement of the lay, said feeler and cam being yieldable one to the other on each forward movement of the lay.

7 In a loom, the combination of a loom frame, a backWard-and-forward-moving lay having a shuttle box, a shuttle in the box, a feeler movable to either of two positions in one of which it feels the shuttle in the box and in the other of which it is retracted therefrom, said feeler being normally held in the retracted position, and a cam on the frame arranged to cam said member to the first position and then release the same during each backward movement of the lay, said member and cam being yieldable one to the other on each forward movement of the lay and said member being in itself yieldable and adapted to yield to the cam when it passes the same on rearward movement of the lay.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM CRUTOHLOW. 

